I get suspension or expulsion as punishments, but what does it even mean to have a degree temporarily revoked? I have only ever heard of degrees being revoked (permanently) after plagiarism was discovered.

They don’t control the entire government in this context. That’s why they need Democrat votes.

As for fault: the spending bill is in itself reasonable. Refusing to vote for it may be the optimal strategy (I don’t know) but it doesn’t look great.